six dud torpedoes in a row?? come on!

Frank Ravelli · 07-21-11, 08:07 PM

I don´t know if this is something usual or not. I remember reading a post here talking about a story similar to this one. The matter is that I inserted my boat in a japanese port with plenty of docked ships in it. I chose the targets and launched the fishes. Six of them. All of them duds. How is this posible? Previously i´ve been lucky about duds, not having many of them. But how is it possible that there are six in a row? I wonder if it is some kind of penalty built in game for doing things too easy?
I feel slightly disappointed, you bet.
Sorry for my bad english.

Bubblehead1980 · 07-21-11, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Ravelli

I don´t know if this is something usual or not. I remember reading a post here talking about a story similar to this one. The matter is that I inserted my boat in a japanese port with plenty of docked ships in it. I chose the targets and launched the fishes. Six of them. All of them duds. How is this posible? Previously i´ve been lucky about duds, not having many of them. But how is it possible that there are six in a row? I wonder if it is some kind of penalty built in game for doing things too easy?
I feel slightly disappointed, you bet.
Sorry for my bad english.

This mirrors real life, the contact detonators bent on impact with the target.One sub fired 15 or so torpedos and all were duds.Aggravating I know but it is historically accurate.If you wish to not have duds, you may disable dud torpedos in the options.

razark · 07-21-11, 08:30 PM

Try firing at an angle into the target, around 45 degrees, instead of straight into it. The real torpedoes tended to work better that way.

KaptCosper · 07-21-11, 08:40 PM

The detonators on torpedos are on the front, and are shaped somewheat like a catfish's wiskers http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur...%3Disch&itbs=1 I agree, shoot them at an angle so that it can get the full force of impact to detonate.

Anthony W. · 07-21-11, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaptCosper

The detonators on torpedos are on the front, and are shaped somewheat like a catfish's wiskers http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur...%3Disch&itbs=1 I agree, shoot them at an angle so that it can get the full force of impact to detonate.

Woulda worked better if the center pin was longer than the side ones.

Sailor Steve · 07-21-11, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony W.

Woulda worked better if the center pin was longer than the side ones.

No, it wouldn't have. That wasn't the problem.
http://www.historynet.com/us-torpedo...rld-war-ii.htm

Relevant part is on page 5, but the whole article is good.

Anthony W. · 07-21-11, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

No, it wouldn't have. That wasn't the problem.
http://www.historynet.com/us-torpedo...rld-war-ii.htm

Relevant part is on page 5, but the whole article is good.

I can't thank you enough for that information. I now need to adjust my torpedo tactics...

Schwieger · 07-21-11, 11:17 PM

That article sounds like my last patrol...

Daniel Prates · 07-22-11, 09:12 AM

"As Theodore Roscoe, author of the official naval history of submarine operations, put it, 'The only reliable feature of the torpedo was its unreliability.'"

Quoting Nelson Muntz, "ha-ha!".

Hey Ravelli, see how lucky you are for having 6 tubes. All 4-tube ships had 2/3 less chance of hitting something. Now try to think about the german type II, where the sub alltogether only carried 5 torps and had 3 tubes. Imagine running an entire patrol, and having all your torpedoes failing in just one attack.

Armistead · 07-22-11, 09:30 AM

Wait until you get one of those patrols with 80% duds.

commandosolo2009 · 07-22-11, 10:21 AM

Try this: 6 Mk14s spread detonations, and a bastard tanker who wont go down...

razark · 07-22-11, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by commandosolo2009

Try this: 6 Mk14s spread detonations, and a bastard tanker who wont go down...

Try multiple spreads of four Mark 14s each into tankers, marus, and an unescorted heavy cruiser, with not a single explosion. I think I had two good hits that entire patrol.

Platapus · 07-22-11, 11:37 AM

I was on one of the Alaskan missions.

One escort and one merchant ship.

Two hits on the escort, four hits on the merchant ship 6 duds.

Yeah, it stynks.

Early in the war, I plan on 75% duds and always try for an oblique impact shot.

Anthony W. · 07-22-11, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

I was on one of the Alaskan missions.

One escort and one merchant ship.

Two hits on the escort, four hits on the merchant ship 6 duds.

Yeah, it stynks.

Early in the war, I plan on 75% duds and always try for an oblique impact shot.

If the convoy has more than 1 escort, I sprint ahead of it and submerge - stationary. I send all officers and petty officers to the forward room and go to GQ. I launch spreads from maximum range, and when they pass over the top I set silent running, dive below the thermals, come back to launch depth and get rid of the rears, then go silent and creep away at max depth.

HowFar · 07-22-11, 09:42 PM

I just finished a patrol with 13 prematures and 4 duds. I should also menition that I had four misses. Have any of you felt like going back to port and telling someone to pack it? Alas, it is only a sim and there is no one you can tell to go to hell. By the way, those four misses were each part of a three torp spread and each of them just passed astern while the other two in there respective spread would have been perfect hits.

07-21-11, 08:07 PM	#1
Frank Ravelli Sailor man Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Madrid Posts: 50 Downloads: 83 Uploads: 1	six dud torpedoes in a row?? come on! I don´t know if this is something usual or not. I remember reading a post here talking about a story similar to this one. The matter is that I inserted my boat in a japanese port with plenty of docked ships in it. I chose the targets and launched the fishes. Six of them. All of them duds. How is this posible? Previously i´ve been lucky about duds, not having many of them. But how is it possible that there are six in a row? I wonder if it is some kind of penalty built in game for doing things too easy? I feel slightly disappointed, you bet. Sorry for my bad english.

07-21-11, 08:30 PM	#3
razark Ocean Warrior Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 2,731 Downloads: 393 Uploads: 12	Try firing at an angle into the target, around 45 degrees, instead of straight into it. The real torpedoes tended to work better that way. __________________ "Never ask a World War II history buff for a 'final solution' to your problem!"

07-21-11, 11:17 PM	#8
Schwieger Commodore Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: U-142 Posts: 624 Downloads: 62 Uploads: 0	That article sounds like my last patrol... __________________ Support U-Boot_HAHD: Install Dropbox Click Here & Increase The Teams Dropbox space and get 2.25GB of free online Storage space for yourself.

07-22-11, 10:21 AM	#11
commandosolo2009 Grey Wolf Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Egypt Posts: 840 Downloads: 132 Uploads: 0	Try this: 6 Mk14s spread detonations, and a bastard tanker who wont go down... __________________ x.com/lexatnews

07-22-11, 11:37 AM	#13
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,365 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	I was on one of the Alaskan missions. One escort and one merchant ship. Two hits on the escort, four hits on the merchant ship 6 duds. Yeah, it stynks. Early in the war, I plan on 75% duds and always try for an oblique impact shot. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

07-21-11, 08:40 PM	#4
KaptCosper Sailor man Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 48 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The detonators on torpedos are on the front, and are shaped somewheat like a catfish's wiskers http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur...%3Disch&itbs=1 I agree, shoot them at an angle so that it can get the full force of impact to detonate.

07-22-11, 09:12 AM	#9
Daniel Prates Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Curitiba, Brazil Posts: 938 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 0	"As Theodore Roscoe, author of the official naval history of submarine operations, put it, 'The only reliable feature of the torpedo was its unreliability.'" Quoting Nelson Muntz, "ha-ha!". Hey Ravelli, see how lucky you are for having 6 tubes. All 4-tube ships had 2/3 less chance of hitting something. Now try to think about the german type II, where the sub alltogether only carried 5 torps and had 3 tubes. Imagine running an entire patrol, and having all your torpedoes failing in just one attack.

07-22-11, 09:30 AM	#10
Armistead Rear Admiral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: on the Dan Posts: 10,880 Downloads: 364 Uploads: 0	Wait until you get one of those patrols with 80% duds.

07-22-11, 09:42 PM	#15
HowFar Bosun Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Olympic Peninsula in western Washington Posts: 64 Downloads: 502 Uploads: 0	I just finished a patrol with 13 prematures and 4 duds. I should also menition that I had four misses. Have any of you felt like going back to port and telling someone to pack it? Alas, it is only a sim and there is no one you can tell to go to hell. By the way, those four misses were each part of a three torp spread and each of them just passed astern while the other two in there respective spread would have been perfect hits.